Juventus were in Washington D.C. for a Club World Cup match; FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended session
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Juventus visit White HouseWeah "surprised" by invitationJuventus won CWC opener
Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowWHAT HAPPENED?
In what was at times an awkward 16-minute appearance in the Oval Office, Juventus players – including Americans Weston McKennie and Tim Weah – and an entourage of others stood behind Donald Trump in a media briefing Wednesday, with the U.S. President discussing everything from the Club World Cup to the conflict in Middle East to his administration’s travel bans.
Juventus were in Washington D.C. for a Club World Cup match against Al Ain – which Juve won 5-0 Wednesday night – but according to The Athletic, they were surprisingly invited by the White House to visit during the afternoon.
“It was all a surprise to me, honestly – they told us that we have to go and I had no choice but to go,” Weah said after Juventus’ win. “I was caught by surprise, honestly. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it’s kind of like, I just want to play football man.”
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended, along with Carlos Cordeiro, former U.S. Soccer Federation president. Trump created and chairs the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. That meant Infantino missed Real Madrid’s opening match of the tournament against Al Hilal, a game he was expected to attend.
At one point, Trump noted the presence of McKennie and Weah, saying “We have two great American players. Where are you, my American players?”
“Fantastic, so good luck,” he said, shaking their hands. “I hope you’re going to be the best two players on the field.”
During the briefing, Trump was asked whether travel bans, which threaten to exclude supporters from attending matches in the U.S. next year, are a concern. Trump looked at Infantino and said: “Gianni, go ahead.”
Infantino then replied, “No, it is not a concern for us. For the games now in the Club World Cup, everything has been done in a very smooth way. We have an excellent, excellent collaboration of course with the president and the Task Force, in particular.”
AFPFIFA REVERSES COURSE
The White House visit came on the same day that FIFA reversed course and displayed anti-racism and discrimination messaging at the Club World Cup. That came after a backlash to its decision to roll back its campaigns across the opening three days of the tournament.
A video explaining FIFA’s anti-racism protocols and anti-racism gesture was played before Wednesday’s match between Manchester City and Wyad AC at Lincoln Financial Field, while anti-racism messages were displayed on advertising boards at Hard Rock Stadium before Real Madrid’s match with Al Hilal.
WHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?
Juventus will play Wydad AC in the next group stage game in the Club World Cup on Sunday.